The Obama administrations HHS mandate may force the Catholic Little Sisters of the Poor to cease their U.S. operations, according to Sister Constance Carolyn Veit, the religious orders communications director.

The Little Sisters currently provide group homes and daily care for the elderly poor in 30 U.S. cities.

Sister Constance toldThe Daily Caller that the Little Sisters may not qualify for a religious exemption from ObamaCares requirement that employers provide coverage for contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion-causing drugs free of charge to female workers.

We are not exempt from the [ObamaCare] mandate because we neither serve nor employ a predominantly Catholic population, Constance said. We hire employees and serve/house the elderly regardless of race and religion, so that makes us ineligible for the exemption being granted churches.

Catholic teaching forbids contraception, sterilization, and abortion, but President Obamas health-care overhaul law requires employers to offer services that cause all three to their employees without a co-pay.

Failure to comply will result in fines of $100 a day per employee  even for religious orders like the Little Sisters whose members have taken vows of poverty.

[I]t could be a serious threat to our mission in the U.S., said Sister Constance, because we would never be able to afford to pay the fines involved. We have difficulty making ends meet just on a regular basis; we have no extra funding that would cover these fines.

The sole compromise the Obama administration offered to religious-based groups that oppose the mandate was to give them an extra year to comply. That extension expires at the end of 2013, but the sisters have only a few weeks left to try to persuade the administration to grant them an exemption beyond that.

We just cannot not say what will happen, Sister Constance told The Daily Caller. We are continuing to pray that our backs will not be up against the wall in 2014. If we are forced to make a decision, we will seek concrete direction from the U.S. bishops.

The Little Sisters have left countries over issues of religious freedom before.

[A]s Little Sisters of the Poor, we are not strangers to religious intolerance, Sister Constance wrote in a June 2012 essay for the Tablet, a Brooklyn-based Catholic newspaper. Our foundress was born at the height of the French Revolution and established our congregation in its aftermath.

Our sisters have been forced to leave numerous countries, including China, Myanmar and Hungary, because of religious intolerance, she wrote. We pray that the United States will not be added to this list.

In addition to the 300 religious Little Sisters in the U.S., each of their group homes employ about 100 people, many of whom get their healthcare through the Little Sisters.

The cost of the fines would be in the millions of dollars each year.

Sister Constance said although their current objections to the HHS mandate have to do with reproductive issues, they are concerned that more mandates may be coming that will have a greater impact on their mission.

What we fear is that, if the federal government succeeds in this case, there are other areas where they could exert pressure or enact measures that could endanger our apostolate  particularly in end-of-life care and in the possible rationing of care to the elderly as a cost-saving measure, she said.

Sister Constance said their battle with the Obama administration has worried many residents of their nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. They wonder if the Little Sisters will be there to take care of them in years to come.

We wish to avoid causing them any further anxiety, said Sister Constance. They are always our first concern, our employees as well.

We are not exempt from the [ObamaCare] mandate because we neither serve nor employ a predominantly Catholic population, Constance said. We hire employees and serve/house the elderly regardless of race and religion, so that makes us ineligible for the exemption being granted churches.

The sisters run a home near me that I have visited on several occasions. These women are so grateful for any and all donations, from old towels to gift cards. The residents are treated with the utmost respect and love. What a travesty of justice it would be if this community were forced to leave the US.

2
posted on 12/27/2012 2:29:49 PM PST
by NYer
("Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." --Jeremiah 1:5)

he does NOT WANT private charity.
he wants to end private charity so that everybody will be dependent on him/government.

and he especially wants to control whether you get the medical care you need or not. every dictator in modern times has sought two things.... control over your life (especially whether you can get medical care or not) and to take away your guns so you can’t defend yourself or fight back.

and he ESPECIALLY hates Christian and Jewish ANYTHINGs, charities or churches or organizations or anything else connected with Biblical teachings or the one true God.

as long as the political damage is not TOO great, he will continue his efforts to close down every Christian, Catholic, Jewish charity and hospital in America.

They have taken vows of "hospitality" and poverty. Simply put: they are beggars! Local Catholic Churches will, once a year, extend an invitation to the sisters to send one delegate to speak at the parish, explain their mission and take up an offering. Period.

Catholics are very charitable. Aside from what they may toss into the sole annual basket collection, it is not uncommon for parishioners to make personal donations such as a turkey at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, for the benefit of the residents. The sisters also accept donations of clothing, furniture, household goods, etc. Local merchants are occasionally approached, as well.

By our vow of hospitality we promise God to consecrate ourselves exclusively to the service of the elderly poor. We welcome them into our homes, form one family with them, accompany them from day to day and care for them with love and respect until God calls them home.

Through our vow of hospitality the Church has given us a mandate to prolong Christs mission of charityto convey to the elderly, in the concrete realities of everyday life, the kindness and love of God for them, his eldest children.

Consecrated hospitality is a witness to the mercy and compassionate love of the heart of Jesus. It is based on the words of Christ himself:

Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7)

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me sick and you visited me. Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me (Matthew 25:3540). Read More

12
posted on 12/27/2012 3:46:29 PM PST
by NYer
("Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." --Jeremiah 1:5)

Yes ... that's a given because "private" charity is a tax write off. Private charity also comes from the heart and Obama, like communists before him, is bent on redefining a society that depends on government for their support, not some ubiquitous religious organization.

13
posted on 12/27/2012 3:51:05 PM PST
by NYer
("Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." --Jeremiah 1:5)

I too, came to this conclusion several years ago. The evil plan is to do away with any “excess” money in private hands via the tax rate on “the rich” and $250,000.00 is not rich for a large family in the cities and suburbs. People will not have the means to donate to their churches/charities. This will especially affect Christians/Catholics and their institutions will die out. This is by design, I have no doubts, at all. Satan is using the atheist/Muslim to go after Christians, and cutting off their funding is a goal for them.

The only thing standing between the unlimited funding of abortion, euthanasia, etc. is Christianity and the secular government has us in their sights.

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